After nearly two years of sluggish economic growth, the pace of economic expansion has finally began to accelerate. Today the U.S. economy is strong and getting stronger. After experiencing a series of significant shocks during the previous years - recession, dot-com collapse and stock market meltdown, terrorist attacks, and corporate wrongdoing, the American economy has managed to remain optimistic. Over the past three quarters, real GDP has grown at the fastest pace in nearly twenty years. Job creation is moving into full gear. The economy has posted steady job gains for each of the last ten months - creating more than 1.5 million new jobs since August. Inflation remains low by historical standards, with the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and the core finished-goods PPI (Producer Price Index) both rising only 1.7 percent over the last 12 months (www.bea.gov). Even interest rates remain near historic lows. Many factors contribute...